Ecclesiastes: 11:4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.
A short sentence that not only gives us good advice for our spiritual life, but our daily life as well. No one ever got anything done waiting for the “right” conditions. You can wait for a sign all day, but the fact is you might have spent so much time looking for “your” sign missed the sign that was given. When you drive down loop one in Austin, and you are looking for the Rollingwood exit, there is a good chance you will blow right past it. The sign does not say Rollingwood, it only gives the county road number. As a result, you know where you are going, but you are looking for a sign instead of looking at what needs to be done, you miss the road, and now you are having to back track. Things like that trip us up every single day. How often do you set on the side lines waiting for the right time, or waiting for a sign that will show you the way. We have to go after what we want, and pay attention to all of the signs, not just one specific thing. I was meeting up with a friend the other day. It was at a restaurant that was set back off the road. I had parked in what I thought was a good place, it seemed like I would be visible. So I am standing around, waiting, assuming that my friend got held up in traffic. A piece of what turned out to be trash caught my eye, I though it looked cool , so I head over. I call my friend as I am looking at this trash, and ask where are you. His response, pulling in now, good thing you were standing there, I would have never seen this place. I thought I was in a good spot, but it turns out my little diversion was just what was needed, just when it was needed. Had I been focused on just the driveway, I would not have seen the trash, I would not have moved, I would still be sitting there, waiting for something to happen. The exact same thing happens in our relationships, and in our business dealings every day. Tunnel vision, kills the ability to see the big picture, it keeps us in our little box, and keeps us chained in place.
The same thing can be said about our spiritual journey. We get so focused on waiting for a sign, the we don’t move. We stay planted waiting for a billboard, while millions of pieces of “trash” are laying there, just waiting for us to notice. Could you imagine someone saying well I want to get more involved in the church, but I am going to wait until the Lord shows me the way, or maybe I am waiting to start going to Church until I see a clear sign showing me which church to go to. What if we were to all say, I will not speak to people about the Lord, until I am given a sign as to who exactly it is that I am supposed to speak to?! We would never plant the seed, we would never harvest the crops, and we would miss out on the glory of the rain God provides, because it is not the “sign” we were looking for. Now I am not saying that God does not drop a clear sign onto us like a 20lb sledgehammer sometimes. He does. He has, and He will continue to do that. However we cannot stand by in idle waiting for the next one! It might not come for a while, and I can promise you that if you are going to be in the right place at the right time, you are going to have to take some steps in faith to get into position.
Do not waste your time waiting for a sign, worse yet, do not waste your time waiting for the “right” sign. Move, plant, reap. Take a step in faith. You never know, that little piece of trash that caught your eye might just be the thing intended to get you where you need to be. You are easier to see when you are moving, you are more likely to see the sign if you are actively doing God’s work. You will live a life of wonder if you will live your life in full view, on the move, without tunnel vision.
God Bless,
Brian Thetford
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